By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Police in Rwanda have taken into custody a beauty queen in for drunk-driving and driving without a licence.
Divine Muheto, the winner of the most recent Miss Rwanda beauty pageant, had damaged “infrastructure” and then fled the scene, the police alleged in a statement.
The police did not however specify whether anybody was hurt in the incident.
Police in the East African country further alleged that this is not the first time Muheto, 21 was driving under the influence of alcohol.
The police broke silence on Tuesday, after days of speculation that Muheto had been detained over a collision.
Prosecutors told local media that the beauty queen who gained fame in Rwanda after she won the national beauty contest in 2022 will appear in court in the country’s capital, Kigali on Thursday.
The competition had since been suspended by Rwandan authorities following allegations or bribery and sexual misconduct against the organisers.
Heritage Times HT learnt that drunk-driving in Rwanda carries a fine of 150,000 Rwandan francs ($110; £85) and five days in police custody.
Thousands of people have been arrested for this crime in recent years as police have begun to enforce the law.
In 2022, a member of parliament apologised and resigned for drink-driving.
According to the government, the recent strict enforcement of traffic laws has led to a significant reduction in the number of fatal road accidents in the country.
High profile individuals have been caught in the wrong side of the law in recent days across African nations.
Earlier in the week, a member of the Nigerian Parliament Alexander Ikwechegh was caught assaulting an e-hailing cab driver and threatening his life.
This was followed by public outrage when video of the assault surfaced online.
He has since apologised to his victim, Nigeria’s Parliament and Senate. Despite his seeming remorse, he was arraigned in court on Wednesday for the crime in an Abuja court.
